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“What’s your game?” he asked, still stricken by Joseph’s hold. “What do you want? A piece of the pie? What!?”
“You still don’t understand, Mr. Gates. I want nothing from you, but the ghosts do. Now that I have told their story aloud, they will be able to terrorize you, awake or asleep. They will haunt you day and night, causing chaos in your life. They are no longer silent victims. They have been seen.
“My friends tell me that your future is dim. Very, very dim. You will lose your election, you will be exposed for who you are, and you will die a painful, miserable death. Yet, somehow, I feel it won’t be as painful as you deserve. Is that right, Mallory?”
“Mallory,” he whispered.
“Mallory,” growled Noah. “A child. Twelve years old and you used her. You gained her trust, you invited her into your home, and you used her. Did you really believe that tying a cement block to her neck would make her go away forever?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. He pushed free from Joseph only because he allowed him to. “No. You can’t know. No one…”
“Everyone will know,” said Julia. “Everyone.”
Gates turned, running toward Royal to find a taxi. His ride was long gone, easily with a thirty-minute head start to speak to the other men. He would have a hard time convincing them to follow him now. He could run. He could take the money that he’d hidden and disappear, but then he’d always be looking over his shoulder.
That wasn’t how he wanted to live. He wanted to live in luxury. With power. Ultimate power over everything he could see and touch. The POTUS was the only option for him. If he could just make his speech in Atlanta in three days’ time, everything would be well.
“Fuck Maison Soleil,” he growled. “Get me back to Atlanta.”
“You say somethin’, sir?” asked the driver.
“No. Just get me to the airport, please. An extra fifty if you do it in twenty minutes.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“What are you guys talking about? Charlie wouldn’t have done that,” said Mike. “He’s for us. All of us. This is why we’re doing this.”
“We heard him,” said Frank. “We heard every word of it. He killed our own men, and he’s hiding money for himself.”
“This is sounding less and less appealing,” said Miller, staring at the men. “You guys assured us that this guy had our best interests at heart.”
“He doesn’t,” said Al, stepping forward. “He doesn’t give a shit about any of us. I’ve been trying to tell Mike for weeks now that he’s using us all, that he’s taking a bigger cut than we know about. Don’t you all get it? We’re the ones risking everything. If someone dies, it’s on us. Not him. He’s kept his distance. If he wins the election, he’ll be so far removed from all of us we won’t be able to touch him.”
“But the rally?” said someone in the back.
“The rally will only make him look good. Not us. What do you all think will happen when the men and women we put behind bars are given free reign over the city? Have any of you thought about it? I have.”
“You’re in as deep as the rest of us, Al,” said Mike.
“You’re right. I am, and I’ll have to pay for that. I’m almost relieved to even say it. I’ll pay for it however I need to, but I won’t jeopardize millions of lives because Charlie Gates wants to be president one day. Not anymore.
“We use these people, mostly women, and take advantage of them. I’m ashamed of who I’ve become, and I won’t do it any longer. You should be ashamed too, Mike. We were good cops once upon a time. We did a lot of good. Put a lot of bad guys away. Now, we’re just gigolos stealing from old women.”
“Fuck you!” yelled Mike. “You’re fucking these old broads too, Al. You got your cut of everything and enjoyed the pussy just like me.”
“You’re right, I did. But not any longer. I don’t want any part of it any longer. I’m done,” said Al.
“Me too,” said Frank. “I might go to jail for my part in this, but at least I’ll have a clear conscience.”
“What are you going to do? Are you gonna run to the D.A.? Do you have any idea what he’ll do to all of you?” yelled Mike.
The cacophony of voices yelling above one another was nearly more than Miller and Addie could stand. They knew that everything was being recorded, but to see it was something entirely different.
Taking a seat in the back of the room, they sat quietly as if just observing all of it. The massive space was used to hold parties, weddings, birthday celebrations, and more. Today, it was holding a gathering of angry, angry men.
They heard a loud knock on the door, and everyone quieted. As it opened, they were shocked to see the smiling face of Patti. The others tried to clear their expressions, but Mike was too far gone.
“Patti, now is not the time. Get out,” he said curtly.
